A Hero's Lament
by MegaBauer
Summary: Set after the events of Bro Bots, Mega Man takes a walk all by his lonesome and laments. First person story told from Mega's perspective. Set in the Ruby-Spears cartoon universe.


**The year is 20X2.**

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It's a chilly, dark Thursday night here in New York City. The skies are overcast, making the scene look a little more ominous than it actually is, but it's nothing more than an approaching rain storm.

I defend many cities, both inside and outside of American borders, but I view New York City as my home and her citizens are my most loyal supporters. This city is their city too, and I am their chosen guardian and their hero. I'm very proud to be and I don't take that responsibility lightly.  
They needed a symbol of hope at a time when it looked like there would only be chaos, and I am so fortunate to be the one who has given hope to them.

And right now, I walk these streets among these very same people, but, to avoid creating a mob scene, I'm wearing a human coat over my armor and I left my helmet at home. So far, it's working... of course there have been a few people who gave me a second look that might have recognized my face.

As much as I enjoy being a symbol of hope to these people and to the entire world ... I wish I didn't have to do it...I wish everything was normal again and these people didn't have to live in fear of another attack happening at any moment.

Usually when I want to rest and dwell in my thoughts, or if I'm having a tough time with my emotions like tonight, I stand on the roof of Dr. Light's lab and I watch over Manhattan in solitude. But, tonight, I just wanted to spend some time alone, away from the lab and away from my family, even though I love them so very much.

I want some time away from being 'Mega Man' just for a little while. Right now, I'm just another average robot named Rock.

I miss those days, back when I could just walk down these streets as just another passerby and live a cozy, peaceful life like my father intended me to live... before Wily ruined everything.

I only got to live that 'cozy, peaceful' life with my father and sister for only a few short days, before that insane lunatic broke into the lab and changed our lives forever. Then, the attacks started... he used my father's own robots to create terror, threatening to take over the world. And if I hadn't been rebuilt into what I am today, Wily would have pulled it off too.

I've made it my life's mission to apprehend Wily and make him face justice for everything he's done to my family, the many innocent robots he's destroyed and countless amounts of innocent humans he's terrorized, hurt... and killed.  
That's why they have all embraced me as their hero, because they know I'm doing this for them and in honor of the memory of those Wily took from them.

I know the word "Hate" is very strong... I don't like using it. But, Hatred is about the only word I can think of when it comes to describing what I feel for that psychopath. That man has no heart, no conscience and no spine. He is the biggest coward on the face of the planet.

I shouldn't have even used the term 'man' when referring to Wily... he's not a man, he's a monster.

He proved it the night he kidnapped me and my sister and almost drilled into her memory core and he proves it every time he launches another one of his sick plans, like the time he pulled the moon out of its orbit. Some regions of the world still haven't fully recovered from the effects of that horrible night and I don't know when they will.

It isn't just the large scale attacks that proove how sick he is either. One time, he even held a girl in front of him and threatened to kill her right in front of me if I didn't let him escape. Tina McIntyre was her name... we were in space that day and he was going to jettison her out into the endless void.

Since Tina's life was at stake, I backed down and let him escape. An innocent life was in danger, I couldn't just let him kill her. I could never live with myself.

Even though Wily and his bots made their escape, I still ended his grand plan of blasting all the world's bodies of water dry by simply firing his own laser at him. I should have celebrated, but I could feel was regret.

He saw me hesitate when he held Tina in front of him. And when I did that, I gave him more ammunition to use. Now, if I've got him where I want him, all he has to do is hold an innocent human or robot hostage... he knows I'll put life ahead of justice.

Everyday I hope that maybe, just maybe, Dr. Wily will wake up one morning and realize what a horrible mistake he's made and stop doing this. I'm afraid he will create irreversible damage one day, or the next time he takes somebody hostage, it might be one of our friends... or Dr. Light... or Roll.

I feel a smile come across my face when I think of my family back home. They are what gets me through my darkest hours... it's those hours that have become too numerous lately. Thinking about them makes me want to head back home now... I've been out too long anyway, don't want to be caught in the rain.

Dr. Light is more than just my inventor. He's my mentor, he's my doctor, he's my leader... and he's my dad. Sometimes I look at his face and I can see elements of both my face and Roll face in his. When he made us, he really patterned us to be _his _children. And when I see that little twinkle in his when he looks upon us sometimes, he views us as his children too, so proud of what we are.

He works so hard at everything he does and when Wily sabotages his inventions and uses them for evil, Dr. Light still manages to stay positive. But, deep down inside, it has to bother him a little bit. Everything he does is for the good of civilization and when Wily destroys those great innovations or outright steals them like he did with the original Robot Masters, it's heartbreaking to see my father's hard work end up like that.

I hope I can end this destructive war soon so my father's life can return to normal again... I hope we never lose him to this war. I don't know what I'd do without him.

Recently, Dr. Light has been able to help me with..._ issues_ involving a certain somebody who wears a yellow scarf. I can't say enough about how supportive he's been.

I only feel comfortable talking about my emotions with Dr. Light, because I know he understands how I feel. Roll has tried to get me to talk to her... but, I don't think she feels the same pain I feel, not the same way I do.

As for my little sister Roll... I don't know how to describe her. She's the toughest girl I've ever met, and that image is only reinforced by all that heavy metal music she listens to. And when she joins me in battle, she's proven to be a valuable member of the team.

I feel bad now when I think back to all of those times I told her to stay home and stick to housekeeping duties she was originaly designed for... she must have thought I was a jerk.  
But, I never did it to hold her back... I'm just scared to death that she's going to get herself hurt really bad one day... or worse.

Lately, she's been trying to get me to talk to her about my issues, but I'm not ready to talk to her... not when it comes to my brother.

I don't mean to push her away, because I know she's worried about me and that she really wants to help me... I just don't think she understands why I feel the way I do when it comes to him. But I know she cares. I feel bad for shutting her out.

I desperately don't want to see anything happen to her, because, underneath that tough metalhead image is the sweetest, most caring girl in the world. There isn't a week that goes by where she doesn't put me or Dr. Light in one of her warm and welcoming hugs.

I love my father and my sister like no other, and the same goes for my faithful dog Rush... if I didn't have them I would have nothing... and if I had to, I would die to protect them. I just hope it never has to come to that. I hope we all make it through to see that day.

As I continue walking down the street, I can feel something cold and wet hit my shoulders... it's raining now, and it isn't long before that rain becomes a downpour. Good thing I brought the overcoat.

A few seconds later, I see a poor person in the street, down on the ground, trying to keep warm. He isn't dressed well enough for this cold rain. According to my eye circuits, he might catch hypothermia if he doesn't get a coat... so, I give him mine.  
He looks up at me with eyes that look so sincerely grateful. He puts it the coat on and I know I'll probably never see him again... but I know I can rest easier tonight knowing I helped just one person who needed help for just a little while.

I feel the constant need to help people, even those who aren't in danger in the middle of a Wily attack. Dr. Light says it's my human emotions and compassion that makes me want to help people. While I genuinely feel the desire to help people in need, there are times when I feel like I'm trying to atone for the sins of my brother... I don't like thinking about him very much.

But, after a while as the conditions become even more dreary and my thoughts end up drifting to ProtoMan, the _other_ member of my family... he's a member of my family whether I like it or not.

Saying that he and I have an uneasy brother relationship is the understatement of the century.

I never got the chance to know him as a brother. The first time I even saw him, he was breaking into my father's lab and stealing his robots, and helping Dr. Wily kidnap Roll and I. After that, we've fought every time we have crossed each other's paths... well, almost every time.

A few weeks ago, on the week of Election Day when Mitchell Deacon was elected to be the next Governor of New York, Proto came home... he said he turned on Wily and that he relized how much he'd missed his little brother... he lied, and we all fell for it... how could I have been so stupid?

To make matters worse, I actually opened up to him. I told him that I always wanted to have a real brother relationship with him. I offered him my heart as a brother and a glimpse into my soul and the pain I feel... and he spit on it! How could he do that to _me_, his own brother?

We welcomed him into our home and he stabbed us all in the back... he almost killed my father, my sister and my dog... my entire family thought they were going to die! How could he do this to his entire family?

And for what?... is that monster Wily really that damn important to him? For goodness sake, Wily is evil... why can't ProtoMan see that? I wish he would. Maybe the attacks would stop if he did.

I'm so angry with Proto for what he did to us, if he came home again tonight, and_ meant it_ this time... I don't know if I would even let him in... I don't even know if I would let _my own brother_ back home... on today, of all days.

And that's what makes today so much harder for me. That's why I'm out here sulking in the rain all by myself. The significance of this day is about family... and yet, my family isn't complete. And thanks to Dr. Wily, it might always be fractured. And if this war continues... I fear that one day it may be broken forever and that even more families will be too. I can't take that kind of heartache... the heartache I'm already feeling is too much as it is.

Even though all these raindrops are cold, some of them feel warm on my face. I then realize that it's not rain... it's my own tears... and let the rain try to wash them away. Even though Dr. Light says it's okay to be upset sometimes, I always try so hard to keep my sadness inside. I'm the chosen Defender of the Human Race... it might be viewed as a weakness if anybody sees me shed a tear.  
But, today I don't feel afraid to cry anymore, not tonight... nobody will see it, they'll just think it's rain on my face. I can just let it all out silently.

After walking in the rain and silently weeping, I can see Dr. Light's lab complex up ahead. I walk up to the front door the house right next-door to the lab, I forget that I gave away the overcoat and now I'm soaked in rain. I would probably flood the carpeting the moment I stepped through the door.

I reach for the door handle, but the door opened before I could even touch it and there were my father and sister standing there waiting for me, the smell of the Thanksgiving turkey wafting out of the door and hitting my aroma sensors right away. Roll handed Dr. Light a towel and he wrapped it around me.

They waited up for me... I feel so bad for keeping them here like this. But, they're not angry with me for staying out like this. Instead, they both embraced me, understanding the pain I'm feeling tonight.

I step inside to be with my family... most of it, anyway. Even though my family is incomplete, I do know that the ones here at home care about me, and would never hurt me like my brother did.

Why, Proto? Why did you have to hurt us? Why can't we just be a family?

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_**Author's Notes:**_

_Finally, a year after announcing it, I have finally posted this story at last. Sorry to have kept you waiting. It was supposed to be online about a year ago and I did begin writing it, but I started working on Defender of the Human Race and this got shelved. But, I decided to get back to work on it and post it one year after I put it on hold._

_This story does make references to the Defender-verse, but it is also tied to the original cartoon continuity. (That's why there aren't references to certain events that take place in Defender.)_

_Please leave a review or comment._


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